Dwing8

That is outstanding! I've been wanting to braid horse hair too......what is that braid?

Hi, I'm working on a seat for my motorcycle and I have run into a problem....the original seat cover had an inside seam and threads to pull it in and match the radius of the seat. I'd like to get out of the inside seam and am wondering if the oil tanned leather can be wet formed and stretched to match the seat and not leave the air space. I could fill in that space with foam if that's the best solution and keep everything simple. Would the leather stretch by it's self overtime? Thanks! Dano

Could be it's a tube and the core is stuffed inside it? Seems like a good way to me.

Thanks for the replies, what has me worried is this part I'm going to copy and paste here from the Terms of Use line 7 Fees..... 7. FEES CL may charge a fee to post content or for other features, products, services or licenses. You are responsible to CL for any fees applicable to content that you post or other features, products, services or licenses you purchase or that are purchased through your account. You authorize CL, or its designated payment processor, to charge your specified credit card, debit card or other payment method for such fees. On their home page the "terms of use" section is highlighted "new". Dano

Hi, I've been looking for a way to sell some of my work and I looked at Craigslist's "terms" page. Like any other agreement you look at it takes an attorney to understand it. Seems like they may charge fees and they want your credit card numbers so they can do it when they want. This has me scared to go any further.....has anybody else here used Craigslist? Thanks! Dano

I've skived both ends before and carefully put a drop of superglue on the joint and bonded them together. It made a very strong connection and to see it you almost have to use a magnifying glass. I too am on a budget and I didn't want to waste material. Good luck! Dano

Thanks for the pictures, the condition looks good enough for me. Springfield Leather is where I was thinking about ordering from, the price is lower than Tandy's and I probably will be ordering a few other things too. I think I can work around any defects. Thanks again!Dano

Thanks for the replies! I didn't know there would be scales down the middle like that. If I carry on with my plan I see I'd have to use the sections off center. What grade is the leg in the picture? I've seen some for sale online at a really good price but it's listed as Grade 2. Tandy has some on sale but I haven't made a trip there to look it over. Thanks again!Dano

I'm making a necklace that measures about 18" or so when laid out flat. I don't have to use oil tanned leather, I have some 1/4" wide latigo that measures .080" thick. It's just not quite as soft as oil tanned. I've made a few bracelets with a flat core and I see what you are saying about the challenge, the backside is hard to keep right. So...if I use the latigo, .080"+.080"+.25"+.25"=.660" circumference or .210" dia. if it's round. If I multiply that circumference by 1.5 I get .99" divided by 8 strings=.123" so I guess 1/8" lace is good. All that' s left is 24" or so for the strands? Sounds good to me! Thank you! Dano

Could you give me an example please? I don't quite follow, I'm not familiar with the formula you use. How long would my strands be? Or how wide for what I'm doing? Thanks, Dano

TY feel free to to give them a try, I just buffed them good with white then red rouge. Gotta be careful though, if you go too far the silver plate will rub off. Thanks again everybody for the tips! Dano

Tandy has some great books by Al Stohlman in their Leathercrafter Library. I downloaded the first one and found it very helpful in seeing how to make a project I had in mind.If you can go to Tandy you can look through all of the books to see if you find what you are looking for. Good luck,Dano

OH, here's what I was making....

Rolling the skin so the scales stood up worked out really good! TY for that suggestion Suicide.....I did it using a latex enamel spray and the scales got covered over and bonded good but the latex even though it was "glossy" came out cloudy. I sanded it smooth and sprayed a couple of coats of clear enamel and once it dried it looked very good. Nice and shiny like I wanted and I can roll the skin tight and it doesn't crack. Thanks again for the help! Dano

Good morning, I've been braiding some necklaces and bracelets with 1/8" kangaroo lace using a 1/8" round cord as a core and the 8 strand herringbone method of braiding. I usually cut my strands about 1 1/2 the length of the finished length plus a little to be safe and it works out pretty good. My next project is using the same braid on a flat core, a 1/4'" wide strip of 4-6 oz oil tanned leather for the core. It's obvious it's going to take a lot more in length to braid because of the width of the core, what's a good way of determining how long to cut the strands? Thanks, Dano

WOW! I must be psychic! LOL....I just gave that idea a try. I also partially rolled the skin upward so when it dried I hope the latex enamel "bonds" it together. But then again...I'm not sure the enamel I'm using will work that good but if it does I'll post the results. Thanks again! Dano

Sorry about the double post, won't do it again. Thanks everybody for the replies, seems the biggest area on the skin is the belly. They cut it there and the scales are the biggest there. I found on my shelf of forgotten things a can of latex enamel clear gloss. Looks like it goes on thick so maybe that'll work until I can find what you suggested. Thanks, Dano

I posted this message under another category (Leather) and I thought I'd post it again here too. What is the best coating to use on Python to keep the scales from raising up? I tried spraying many coats of clear enamel sanding in between each coat and that seems to work. I also tried spraying urethane the same way but that is terrible. The urethane cracks if you roll the piece and it can be picked off if you try hard enough. What is the best way? Thanks, Dano

I've never worked with ostrich leg leather before, can I wet mold it like veg-tan? I want to be able to form it around a smooth flat on the bottom rounded on the top stone about the size of a quarter on a bracelet. Is it really thin like python? Thanks, Dano

Thank you all! I did learn it here looking at all of the stuff you people have shown. Dano

Thanks Mister! Maybe some day I'll get half as good as you. Or I win the lottery???? Dano

Pretty colors! I too started getting my lace from Springfield Leather, they are very good to me when I place an order and if it's out of stock they call me and offer a second choice. I used a turk's head from a book by George Russel Shaw he called of 3 strands and a pentangular center. It wasn't going to tighten up well so I ran the lace through a second time. I used Tandy's kangaroo lace on this bracelet, it's just a wee bit thinner than Springfiled's. Since I have done a few more since this one I started tying a 6 bight turk's head and they look OK but not as good as some of the other's I've seen here. I need to learn how you did the two colors in your knot, that looks great! Thanks for the compliment! Dano

You might try a simple double loop lace, instead of going through holes in two pieces of leather you just wrap the buckle. Here's an easy to follow how to: http://www.kingsmere...com/page96.html You can put the lace cross pattern on top or on the outside edge, wherever looks the best. Dano

Looks great!!! Very uniform the way it tucks in and the braid looks very pro! Now I gott'a give it a go,Dano

I've done number two before but I cut a strip of goat 1" wide and glued it to the back side before /i punched the holes for the lace. It really helped a lot and kept the ends of each piece matched up and I was able to pull the lace good and snug as I went. In the tutorials Beaverslayer showed making a vest this way but he used a really nice lace technique I liked. It's in the Gallery section under tutorials and lessons. Dano